Razor-blade sharpening equipment



June 22, E T U D V RAZOR-BLADE SHARPENING EQUIPMENT Filed May 19, 1942 Y INVENTOR, 13m: eaalm,

I ATTORNEY.

Patented-June 22, 1943 UNITED STATESFATENT OFFICE 1 2,322,321 RAZOR-BLADE SHARPENING EQUIPMENT Einar Setterlund, Clifton, N. J. Application May 19, 1942, Serial No. 443,657 1 Claim. (01. 51-15s)' This invention relates to appliances for sharpening razor blades and particularly razor blades of the constant-thickness flexible and normally flat or planiform type. It contemplates a novel combination of a fixed member providing an abrading surface and a clamp or holder for the blade which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction and whereby a razor blade may be sharpened quickly and with the minimum of effort. It also consists in a novel construction of the holder, which latter is capable of being used, though to less advantage in point of efficiency and convenience, with any medium providing a substantially wplaniform abrading surface.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the combined fixed member and clamp or holder;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the fixed member partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a plan of said member;

Fig. 4 shows in side elevation the parts of the holder or clamp;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one part and Fig. 6 a transverse section of another part of the holder or clamp;

Fig. 7 is an underneath plan view of the holder or clamp; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the blade and fixed member during a sharpening stroke.

The fixed member includes a tubular portion I and two heads, as 2, here removably fitted to the tubular portion and each of which has an outer abrasive or sharpening surface 2a, as by forming the head of some material (here fiber) that will exert an abrasive effect on a razor-blade edge; each head is here penetrated by an orifice 3 formed as will hereinafter appear and in the example forming with the interior of the tubular portion what I term an opening. This member is normally to be held in fixed position, as by a suitable clamp 4 affixed to a wall 1/) by a single screw 5 so that the member may be positioned with either head up, to the end that either head may be used for sharpening.

The holder or clamp is constructed as follows: 6 designates the usual outer clip of a standard or Gillette type of safety razor blade-holder or clamp, being oblong in plan and having a threaded central stud 6a and corner lugs 6b at its inner or transversely concave side. 1 is the conventional handle which here forms a post into which the stud 6a is to be screwed. Another clip is formed by the part 8 whose body or mid-portion is elongated and of narrow width relatively to the width of the blade a, by which I mean that it at most approximates in width only one-half the width of the blade, and at its inner or under face presents a somewhat convex form, being the face which bears against the blade; projecting from such face are lugs 8a to enter the usual central slot of the blade and centrally located in the clip is a hole to be penetrated by stud 6a. Clip 8 has oppositely reaching extensions 80, forming handles. In the assembled relation of the parts of the holder or clamp the post I and clip 6 coact to clamp between them the blade a and clip 8, with clip 8 and blade :1 respectively adjoining clip 6 and the post, clip 8 being held against turning relatively to clip 6 by the lugs 6a and the blade held against turning by the lugs 8a. The blade retains its normal or planiform form, but due to the narrow width of clip 8 it may flex so that its convex side is that adjacent the handle, or its inner side.

The fixed member and clamp or holder are operatively combined as shown by Fig. 1, to wit, so that what I term the head structure of the holder (comprising parts 6 and 8), is above the upper head of the fixed member and may be supported thereon by the blade a (of greater width than orifice 3) and the post projects into the opening formed by the orifice and the interior of the part I of the fixed member. To effect sharpening the assembly formed by the holder and blade is tilted to the position shown by Fig. 1 so that one actual cutting edge a of the blade, independently of the beveled surface of the blade which adjoins the abrading surface of the head of the fixed member, initially contacts said abrading surface, the operator grasping the arms or handles of the holder for this purpose. Then by such handles pressure is exerted through the holder so as to flex the blade as shown in Fig. 8, thereby to hold said beveled surface of the blade in contact with the abrading surface, whereupon, while maintaining the pressure, the implement is slid across the abrading surface while undergoing simultaneous change from its initial angular position toward the vertical position. As the implement approaches the vertical position, and assuming that during the stroke operator naturally preserves the initial pressure, the flexion of the blade reduces and so preserves said beveled surface in contact with the abrading surface for a quite appreciable part of the stroke. Thereupon the oscillation thus begun may be continued for the number of strokes required to obtain the desired sharpness of each edge of the blade. Without the clamping portion 8 having the narrow width as hereinbefore defined the sharpening could obviously not be so quickly and readily performed as is possible by my appliance.

It will be noted that the hole 3 is of somewhat greater diameter than the portion of the holder post 1 immediately received thereby. Also that the side of the hole on the one hand and the inner surface of part I of the holder are simultaneously engaged by said post in the fully tilted position of the holder. In View of these conditions the holder is permitted to assume on either stroke a tilting position in which the actual cutting edge of the blade contacts the abrading surface, limited, however, by engagement of the post with the side of the hole and the inner surface of portion I. The hole is preferably circular, as is the interior of the portion I, so that the strokes may be diagonally of the fixed member in any direction. During the first part of any stroke the blade is free to be flexed as indicated and shown by Fig. 8, thus to bring its beveled surface a2 in face to face relation to the abrading surface, because what immediately backs it is the narrow clip 8, leavin marginal portions of the blade of considerable width free to flex.

At 9 is a hook on the fixed member on which to hang the holder when not in use, one handle of the holder having a hole H] to receive the hook.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

In combination, a fixed member including a tubular portion and a head at one end of the latter and penetrated by a hole of less area than the normally planiform blade to be sharpened and of less diameter than the interior diameter of said tubular portion, said head having its outer surface abrasive, and a clamp comprising a post extending through the hole into the tubular portion and a head structure between which and the post the blade is to be clamped, said head structure having a clamping portion to immediately adjoin the blade, when clamped, elongated and of narrow width relatively to the width of the blade and coactive with the post to clamp the blade without substantial distortion thereof from its planiform state and the hole and the interior of the tubular portion bein formed of such relatlve diameters as to permit tilting of the clamp but to coac't to limit such tilting to the position in which the cutting edge of the blade Will be in contact with said surface.

EINAR SETTERLUND. 

